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6N0 Model.)' 2 SheetsSheet 1. T.. R. TIMBY.

REVOLVING TOWER FORTIFI-GATION.

No. 413,581. Patented 0011-. 22, 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. T. R. TIMBY.

REVOLVING TOWER FORT IFIUATION.

No. 413,581. Patented Oct; 22, 1889.

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5 hole 8, in which is THEODORE R. TIMBY, OF \VASHINGTON,

PATENT OFFICE.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

REVOLVING-TOWER FORTIFICATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,581, dated October22, 1889.

Application filed June 4,1889. Serial No. 313,089. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE R. TIMBY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving-TowerFortifications, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to revolving-tower fffrtifications of the general.nature and description set forth in Letters Patent heretofore grantedto me, the present improvements being applicable to towers on land, andthe object is to put larger guns in a smaller radius and at the sametime sight and fire the guns from a central point above the gun-floor.

To these ends the invention consists in arranging two oppositely-pointedguns parallel and on opposite sides of the center, providing asighting-platform on the central shaft above the guns, having means ofrotation independent of the turret and carrying a telescope andrelatively-arranged electrical firing mechanism, whereby the guns areautomatically fired successively when brought into line with thesighting-telescope, and mechanism for operating the several parts,including certain incidental details of construction, all of which willbe fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, Figure I is a perspective view from the exterior of myimproved tower. Fig. II is an elevation of the same. Fig. 111 is avertical axial section.' Fig. IV is a horizontal section above the guns.

1 represents the ground or other support upon which the revolving toweris located, a

suitable foundation 2 being provided for supporting the tower.

3 represents the mole or outer casing, having the upper cap 4, with asurrounding lookout-opening 5, and a lower edge 6, which extends downsufficiently within the moat 7 to overlap the upper portion of thefoundation. \Vithin the tower or mole is a central wellmounted avertical shaft 9, having suitable bearings 10, said bearings beinglocated in the lower stationary portion of the well 17.

11 is a sighting-platform carried by the upper portion of the verticalshaft 9, and above it, on the end of the shaft, is mounted a telescopeor other sighting-glass 12, the objectglass being located in suchrelation to the outlook-opening 5 as to be protected by the mole, but atthe same time to afford a constant and unobstructed view through theglass. The shaft 9, with its parts, is normally stationary; but toprovide for the rotation thereof with the sighting platform and glassthe shaft 14, mounted in the bracket 13 below and in the platform 11above, and having a lower gearwheel 15 intermeshing with the innercorrugated edge 16 of the lower stationary portion 17 of the well-hole,is provided. On the upper end of the shaft 14 is mounted a handwheel 18,and by it the shaft 14, with the gearwheel 15, may be revolved, thuscausing the rotation of the shaft 9, with the parts carried thereby, bymeans of the bracket 13, rigidly secured thereto.

20 represents a circuit-closing device fixed upon the shaft 9 androtated therewith, said circuit-closer having a contactrpoint adapted toreceive the corresponding point 21 to close the circuit 22, whichcontrols the firing mechanism on the guns 25.

26 is an electric battery carriedby the central shaft and supplying thecircuit 22.

It will be observed that the upper portion of the well-hole 8 revolveswith the mole and guns, the mole being mounted on suitablefriction-rolls, as fully shown and described in patents previouslygranted to me. The circuit-closing device bears a fixed relation to thetelescope, so that when the telescope is sighted at an object thecircuit-closing device is in such position as to close the circuit andfire the guns when they have sufficiently rotated to be brought to beardirectly upon the object at which the telescope is sighted.

Another important part of my invention is the method of arranging theguns in a tower of the above description. In such a tower I prefer tomount two guns tangentially on opposite sides of the central well-hole,so that they will be parallel and directions. The contact-points 21 arealso on opposite sides of the well-hole. in a line parallel to the guns.The sighting-telescope is located midway between the two guns, and animportant advantage arises from this location in. that the smoke of thefiring does not pointing in opposite interfere with the sighting of thetelescope, being either to the right hand or to the left, instead ofdirectly beneath.

Another advantage of great practical importance resulting from thearrangement of the guns in parallel position and pointing in oppositedirections is that I am enabled to apply and utilize my revolving-towersystem with automatic firing with guns of more than double the lengthand capacity in a tower of given diameter than is possible with theradial arrangement of the guns shown and described in my patents, No.36,593,8eptember 30,1862,

and N 0. 330,642, November 17, 1885, while at the same time I retain tothe fullest extent all the advantages of sighting and rapid and accurateautomatic firing by having the guns in parallel position and pointing inopposite directions, so as to be discharged as they successively reachthe same exact line of direction, and with guns thus arranged inparallel position and pointed in opposite directions no change isnecessary in the sighting and firing mechanism. This latter featuredistinguishes my invention from any of the nuln erous examples of gunsarranged in parallel position and pointing in the same directionas, forexample, in the patent of Eads, No. 38,038, March 31, 1863.

For the above reasons I do not herein claim patents above referred to;arrangement of the guns pointed in the same direction, as this exists inthe Eads patent referred to and many other. Well-known exam- 4 ples.

It will further appear that the parallel or tangential arrangement oflarge guns presented in opposite directions enables them to be firedautomatically and successively under myimproved system without thedischarge of one gun impairing the accuracy of fire of the other,Whereas with guns arranged in pairs presented in the same directionafter the common mode, unless they be discharged simultaneously withabsolute concurrence, the discharge of the first is liable to seriouslyimpair the accuracy of fire of the second. I

am thus by my improved arrangement enabledto maintain to the fullestextent the rapidity of fire which exists with paired guns same time togreatly increase the accuracy of fire, and also to increase theeffectiveness of the fire by maintaining a constant succession ofdischarges upon a given or chosen line with the greatest practicablerapidity for an indefinite perio It will furthermore be seen thatmyimproved mode of mounting guns side to side on opposite sides of thecentral well of a revolving tower and pointing in opposite directionscauses the said guns to mutually and exactly counterbalance one anotherin all positions of the tower, the centers of gravity of the guns beingat all times diametricall r opposite each other with relation to theaxis on which the tower turns.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 8

l. A revolving-tower fortification provided with guns pointing inopposite directions and arranged side to side in parallel position onopposite sides of the central well or axis of the tower, causing saidguns to mutually counterbalance eachother and to be brought successivelyand alternately to a determined line of fire, all as herein explained.

2. In a revolving-tower fortification, the combination of guns mountedin parallel position side to side on opposite sides of the central wellor axis of the tower and pointing in opposite directions, and thesighting platform and its accessories, as shown and central shaft anddescribed, supported on a g the will of the 0padjustable in position aterator.

3. In a revolving turret or other support, the combination of a centralwell-hole, the parallel oppositely-pointed guns mounted on either sidethereof, electrical firing mechanism upon the guns, and suitableelectrical supply and fixed contact-brush adapted to close the circuitwith the firing mechanism, located on the fixed portion, whereby theguns are fired automatically and in succession.

4. In a revolving tower, the combination of a central Well-hole,oppositely-pointed guns mounted in parallel position side to side oneach side of the well-hole, firing mechanism on the guns, a shaft fixedrelatively to the rotation of the turret, and-means carried by saidshaft for operating the firing mechanism at desired intervals, allsubstantially as herein described.

5. In a revolving turret, the combination of the two paralleloppositely-pointed guns lo cated side to side at equal distances fromthe center, suitable firing mechanism upon the guns, and a fixedmechanism adapted to fire the guns successively as each reaches apredetermined position, all substantially as herein set forth.

6. The combination, in a revolving turret, of a number of guns mountedside to side, pointed in opposite directions, and suitable firingmechanism, a central'shaft carrying means for operating the firingmechanism, and a sighting-platform, said shaft and platform beingadjustable at Will.

having

